This invention concerns cutters and more particularly cutters having cutter wheels as are used in cutting pizzas. The typical pizza cutter uses a circular blade or cutter wheel rotatably mounted at one end of an elongated handle, which is held while stroking the cutter. These cutters are somewhat bulky and the exposed blade becomes dulled when stored in a drawer with other utensils because of incidental bumping of the cutter edge with the other utensils.
The mounting of the roller cutter blade at one end of an elongated handle precludes convenient use of these tools for other cutting applications as the cutting motion by endwise movement is too clumsy for rapid stroking as when mincing herbs, etc.
It is also desirable to be able to disassemble the cutter for cleaning, but most such cutters do not allow disassembly or are only disassembled with substantial effort.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a roller cutter which is compact and versatile in use, and which protects the cutter edge against dulling when not in use.
The above recited object and others which will be understood upon a reading of the following specification and claims are achieved by a rolling cutter which includes a housing mounting a cutting wheel to be completely retractable within the housing when not in use to protect the cutter edge, and extended out of the housing to be useable for cutting. The cutter wheel is mounted on a slide bar having a slot allowing the cutting wheel to be moved between an extended and a retracted position. The slide and cutting wheel together are conveniently able to be completely removed from a slot in the housing receiving the slide bar for cleaning upon removal of a locking rod held in a locking position in a first rotated position and able to be withdrawn in a second rotated position, an attached finger knob enabling twisting of the locking rod.
The housing has a grip extending along the top which allows a sideways stroking motion while easily exerting a downward pressure. This allows efficient use of the cutter by a rapid sideways stroking while having good visibility of the cutting edge, useful in mincing herbs, etc., as well as cutting pizza.